A01=Karel Sima
Author_Karel Sima
Bohemian Crown Lands
bourgeois culture
bourgeoise culture
Category=NHD
Catholic modernism
celebrations
Czechs
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
festive culture
Germans
Habsburg monarchy
identity politics
intersectionality
May Day
modernity
national festivals
nationalism
nineteenth century
political culture
public festivities
working class culture
Product details
- ISBN 9781626711426
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 15 Feb 2026
- Publisher: Purdue Scholarly Publishing Services
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Why, where, when, and how should individuals engage in festivities? On the Road to High Modernity traces the modernization of public festivities during the nineteenth century, focusing on the Bohemian Crown Lands of the Habsburg Monarchy. Characterized by its rapid and successful modernization in the final century of the Monarchy's existence, this territory serves as a unique laboratory for examining the evolution of modern political culture. As organizers of celebrations navigated the complexities of an increasingly fragmented society marked by ethnic, religious, and social divisions, they faced the daunting challenge of promoting diverse interests. By analyzing the intricate organization of festive events in public spaces, it is revealed how these activities were not merely celebrations, but strategic orchestrations that balanced rationality with emotion, discipline with spontaneity, and the interplay between public and private realms. These modern festivities were instrumental in promoting various agendas within the intricate landscape of Central European identity politics—be it nationalist aspirations, monarchical loyalty, class interests, or religious affiliations. Ultimately, these celebrations had profound implications for the stability or disruption of political and social order in the late Habsburg Monarchy.
Karel Šima is an assistant professor at the Institute of Economic and Social History at Charles University in Prague. He received his PhD in history and cultural anthropology from Charles University. His research interests include political culture from the nineteenth century, theory of history, subcultures and do-it-yourself, and higher education studies and policy. His work has appeared in the European Journal of Cultural Studies, Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, and Nations and Nationalism.
